Cabinet



PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

J. H. STIGGLBMAN CABINET. APPL'IGATION FILED JAN. 15. 1903.

2 sHnsTssHnET 1.

- 'ND MODEL.

I 1 I r r I x fNVE/V Tole No. 746,758. PATENTED DEG. 15, 1903.

J. H. -STIGGLBMAN. CABINET".

APQPLYIGATION TILED JAN, 15, 1903."

NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES JAMES H. STIGGLEMAN,

Patented December 15, 1903.

on wABAsn, INDIANA.

, CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming art or Letters Patent No. 746,758, dated December 15,1903. Application filed January 15, 1903., SerialNu. 139,134. (No model-3 1T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES H. STIGGLEMAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Wa-' bash, in the county of W'abash and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cabinets; and I do doclare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,

' which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to furniture, but more particularly to bookcases, cabinets, &c., and has for its object to provide a novel style of doors for the same.

With this object in view my invention consists in the new arrangement and construction of the doors for bookcases, cabinets, and analogous furniture. I

My invention also consists in the novel means of hanging and operating the same.

My invention also consistsin certain other features of construction and-incombination of parts, which will be first fully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

. tion.

tion of the bookcase, showing manner of as-- Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bookcase constructed in accordance with my inven- Fig. 2 is a perspective of one main secsembling the units and doors open. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a rear fragmentary view of doors closed in elevation. Fig. 6 is a rear vertical fragmentary sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on line 5 5 of. Fig. 5, and Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on lines 6 6 of Fig. 6.

Like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the'several figures, in which- 1 is the cabinet or bookcase composed of units .1, 2, 3, and 4, which are assembled as shown in Fig.2. Near the upper front edge of each unit or section I provide a longitudinal tongue 5, which registers with a corresponding longitudinal groove (not shown) near the lower front edgeof the units or sec- -and travel-on the track 1 5.

tions. 6. and 7 indicate the doors, which are provided attheir extreme upper corners 8 with a vertically-journaled roller 9, which opcrates in a groonesldinnthe -cabinetw At the extreme lower corners 11 of said doors I provide a caster 12, having-a grooved "casterwheel-13. The cabinet is provided with a groove'hi, within which is located a metal track 15, upon which said caster-wheels travel. 'Each' set or pair of doors is provided with a handgrasping means 16, which may be a knob, handle, or other device, but preferably like that'shown in the drawings.

On the inner side of the. door 6 and above the handle 16 I secure a plate 17, which at its upper end is provided with a lug 18 and which is provided on its rear with a vertical groove. (Not shown.)

-19 indicates the spring, which has a double'actiom'andto'which I Wish to partioularly'draw attention, inasmuch as a-careful study of the accompanying-drawings must be made in connection with the following description in order to properly grasp the action of said spring, although in construction .it is the embodyment of simplicity. The shorter end 20 of the spring 19 is placed against the door6 under the plate 17 and within the groove in rear of said plate. Screws 21 are employed to hold said plate and spring in position. lhe coil 22 of said spring is passed over the lug 18, as shown in Fig. 5, said coil in the spring being for the purpose of augmenting its resiliency. The longer end of said spring extends obliquely downwardly, crossing over to the other door 7, where it is loosely secured by a staple or a hook 23.

When the handle 16 of the doors is grasped and pulled, the doors swingtoward each other on their hinges 24:, the rollers 9 at the top thereof guiding the same, while the casters 12 at the bottom thereof support the same The position of said doors when open is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The normal tendency of the spring 19 is to hold the doors in a closed position that is to say, the pressure of the longer end 19 is against the door 7--while it tends to pull away from the door 6, the obvious result of which is a tendency to hold the doors closed.

This tendency, however, is subject to this.

than ninety degrees with the door 6 the tendency of the spring is to close the doors; but when said doors are opened to their full extent or until the said doors form an angle of less than ninety degrees, as shown in Fig. 8, thetendency of the longer end of the spring a'ct-' ing on the staple or hook 23 is to draw the same toward the shorter end of the spring, which action obviously tends to hold the doors in an open position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It is thus seen that the efiect of the spring, which While always acting in the same direction exerts a directly-opposite influence on the doors themselves when in an open and a closed position. The consequence of this is that when the doors are closed they cannot of themselves swing open, while when they are open they remain so until closed.

As aforesaid, the doors are opened by pull ing on the handle 16, and-if access is desired,

to the compartments on the right of the cabinet, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the handle while being drawn outwardly is drawnv This causes the door 6 to main-' tain its same relative position and draws the to the left.

door 7 beyond the central partition, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Should access be required; to the compartment on the left, the handle: while being drawn outwardly is drawn to the i right. This causes the door 7 to maintain its same relative position and. slides the door 6 beyond the central partition, giving free access to the compartment on the left. When the doors are in an open position either to the right or to the left and access is desired to the closed compartment, the doors are simply slid along into the position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, without closing, the casters 13 at the bottoms thereof rolling on the track 15, while the rollers at the top guide the doors. The action of these doors is practically noiseless and to further guard against any jar I provide rubber stops 24 along the central partition 25.

Having thus described my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact construction herein .set forth, as various slight changes may be made therein which would fall within the limit and scope of my invention, and I consider myself clearly entitled to all such changes and modifications.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a cabinet or'the like, the combination of two doors hinged together and adapted to be opened swinging toward each other, means for sliding said doors laterally in either direction while in an open position, and means acting on said doors for holding them in an open or closed position.

2. In a cabinet or the like, the combination of two doors hinged together, a spring secured to one of said doors and acting on the other to hold said doors opened or closed.

3. In a cabinet or the like, the combination of two doors hinged together, a spring secured to one of said doors acting in one direction against the other door when said doors are closed, and in the contrary direction when said doors are opened.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. STIGGLEMAN. Witnesses:

WILL H. ANDERSON, JAMES W. STEWART. 

